A new all-weather 3G pitch at Baysgarth School has been officially opened.

The Barton school on Barrow Road, in partnership with North Lincolnshire Council , opened the pitch on Friday thanks to a grant from the Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund.

The grant has enabled the school to replace one of their existing grass pitches with a state-of-the-art third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch (AGP).

This joins the school’s two other full-size grass pitches, one 9v9 pitch, three Mini-Soccer pitches, a rugby pitch and a cricket area.

Action on the new 3G pitch at Baysgarth School

The new all-weather surface will offer the school and its users, including local grassroots clubs Barton JFC, Barton United JFC, Barton Broncos FC and Barton Rangers Ladies FC, improved flexibility when it comes to scheduling matches and fixtures.

An 80 per cent increase in overall football participation is expected on the site as a result.

The project was made possible thanks to a £378,302 grant from the Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund, which is delivered by the Football Foundation.

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He said: "I was really pleased to unveil this brand new all-weather pitch. Having a lot of experience as both a player and a coach, I know the impact that great surfaces like this one can have on the level you can play at. It’s great that the Baysgarth School, its partner clubs and the local community now have access to this new pitch, which is going to have such a positive effect on their game.

"It’s also really great to see money from the top levels making its way to the grassroots game, which is where everyone starts. Through funding from the Premier League, The FA and the Government, through Sport England, the Football Foundation is delivering great facilities like this all over the country."

Chris Wright, director of sport for Baysgarth School, said: "The pitch will be a massive boost to the students of Baysgarth School, the local community clubs and those in the Barton area. As a PE faculty, the quality of our delivery can improve massively on a surface that offers consistent roll and can be played on in all weathers.

"We will gain learning hours because of this and the technical quality of football in the area will improve. We are massively excited to have a world class facility situated on our site and we hope that it will inspire our students to achieve at the highest level."